iAm The Bane
by Twilight Warrior 627
Summary: For Harry Dresden, history repeats in an unexpected way. For Freddie Benson, the world only gets bigger. After an incident changes both their lives, they find themselves drawn deeper into unexpected journey that leads to widespread consequences. And Lord only knows where the road will lead...


Disclaimer: I don't own either series.

Author's note: Yes, another story. However, this is a story that I had been trying to bring the idea together for over the last few years since I began writing more fanfiction. This idea is one that I had wanted to do once I found out about the Dresden Files series and did some serious research. Also, I found out the Dresden Files RPGs and looked over the material. At the same time, what interested me was how similar the Dresden Files cosmology was to the Witchcraft/Armageddon RPGs, which is not bad as Dresden Files has it's own nuances that work with it's own universe. Finally, this story will feature the pairing of the tech producer and the goth of the Schneiderverse. However, it won't be the crazy mess that both shows became. At any rate, I hope you guys enjoy this opening chapter and I will try and update when I find inspiration for my other stories. My mind is so full of ideas.

* * *

Chicago, Illinois

November 2012

He wished it could've been easy to say that he was just imagining everything. He thought it would've made everything easier to pretend that what he had seen was just a tired, addled, delusional mind. He wanted to believe so much, but he knew in his heart that it wasn't the truth of reality surrounding him.

It started when he was going back to his apartment on Halloween night. The air was cold that night as he was coming back from one of his college classes. He had decided to cut through Graceland Cemetery. His apartment wasn't too far way that he could easily walk back and forth between the two.

As it was that night of the year when costumes and candy abounded, there was nothing suspicious about the trick-or-treaters. It was only when he passed by one of the mausoleums that he felt a chill go up his spine. The next thing he knew, he blacked out and woke up inside the mausoleum.

The young former tech producer of iCarly woke up with what felt like a splitting headache. As his vision became clearer, he saw that he was definitely inside the mausoleum with other people his age; there were four young men and two young women present. What caught his surprise the most was how he was on the ground as they surrounded him in a circle, with one guy dressed in a leather coat with long dark hair and dark clothing holding a knife in his hand.

"On this night, we prepare to sacrifice this young virgin for our mighty, dark overlord Satan. And he shall bless us with his power and bountiful rewards so that our deepest desires can be fulfilled!" The leader of the group chanted.

"I don't know Jeff. Is this really a good idea? And how do you this kid is a virgin? It is Freddie Benson," said one of the girls who had red hair.

Jeff, the apparent leader, looked to the redhead in irritation as he replied, "Dammit Michelle! I was really getting into my speech!"

"Well, it is Freddie freaking Benson! The same guy who had both Sam and Carly. You're telling me in all that time, he didn't bag one or both of those chicks? Give me a break!"

"Well what girl in her right mind would want to give it up to a tech geek?! Well, except Carrie."

"Go screw yourself Jeff!" the blonde Freddie presumed to be Carrie said.

At any other time, Freddie would've been ready to defend himself or at least deflect the conversation to another topic. Unfortunately the headache was too painful to ignore.

' _Note to self: never cut through Graceland again._ ' he thought bitterly to himself.

Jeff continued on with his chant appealing to whatever dark entity he seemed to be calling upon. As Freddie took another look around, he realized that there appeared to be blood on the ground in what appeared to make the elaborate shape of a pentagram with strange symbols at each point.

Before he could do anything else, Freddie felt a strange built up. As he looked around, he noticed what appeared to be dark energy in the form of reddish flames, which no one else seemed to notice. What made it worse was when a man dressed in an expensive white suit with a black shirt appeared before him. He saw how Jeff and his crew looked surprised at the being before them.

The man in the suit looked to the kids who summoned him with an impatient glare until he turned to Freddie Benson with a devious smile.

He turned back to the crew and said, "Sacrificing a virgin to summon someone such as myself...really?"

The well dressed man slowly approached Jeff and his friend as he continued, "Do you take me to be one of those bottom-feeding miscreants like Kalshazzak and Chaunzaggoroth?!"

Jeff and his friends stumbled back as he replied, "What are you talking about man?!"

"Do you think you could summon and bind me to do your bidding?"

"No! You're not our slave! We just want power man!" Jeff replied with his hands up.

The well dressed man stopped in looked at them in bemusement. "You summoned me so I can give you power? What makes you think I can do such a thing?"

Jeff looked at his friends as he replied, "That's what you guys do, right? That's why we were sacrificing Freddie Benson."

"No wonder he looked familiar. I hate to break the bad news to you, but you have royally screwed yourselves," the man said.

"What?! But he's a virgin and everything! Right?" Jeff said in shock.

"That's not what I meant. I'm not one of those pagan gods who needs sacrifices or human worship just to function with a fraction of power. Besides, sacrificing this kid would be a bad idea."

"What?! Why!" Jeff shouted.

"Yeah. Why is that?" Came another male voice at the entrance of the mausoleum. Everyone turned to find two men standing there. One had somewhat shaggy hair, wore a dark trench coat, while holding a long staff and a small rod in his hands, and included a pentacle necklace. The other man's appearance was surprising. He was as tall as the other, appeared older with salt and pepper hair but he had an air of firm confidence. His clothes were made up of a regular flannel shirt, with a shawl with a red crucifix across the chest. There also appeared to be a sword strapped to his back.

The well dressed man looked to the newcomers with a smile. "Harry Dresden and Michael Carpenter. Your reputations precede you both."

"What can we say, we do good work," the trench coat man said.

"So I've heard Mr. Dresden. Tell me, are you going to burn these foolish kids to death like you did those poor fools at the Velvet Room years ago? Your temper wouldn't help you at all."

"You have are no one to judge him, fallen," the other man said, whom Freddie presumed to be Michael Carpenter.

"Are you sure? After all that humanity has done, why shouldn't I? Just look at these kids. Foolish enough to want to sacrifice an innocent for the sake of power? Your kind is corrupt, and we should've been given this world," the man said.

Michael stepped forward as he drew the broadsword from its scabbard as he replied, "How long do you plan on inhabiting the man you're possessing?"

Freddie looked up and immediately saw two pairs of eyes of the well dressed man. One pair of eyes were blue human eyes, but they appeared to be covered by a pair of purple glowing eyes behind them. What scared Freddie next was seeing the well dressed man transform into something he had only seen in video games. Within a few seconds, the man's legs had remained humanoid but with talons replacing his feet, horns had curled downward and behind his ears. And his ears had become elongated while his skin had become violet.

"Now we see your true form, Azazel," Michael said as his sword began to glow with a magnificent white light.

"And I will kill you all!" Azazel shouted.

"Hey man! Why do we have to die?!" Jeff shouted with his friends cowering behind him.

Azazel looked to them with a twisted smile before he responded, "I was going to kill you anyway. You foolish children thought you could obtain power by appealing to me? That's not how I work. I helped teach you worthless humans the art of war. What made you think a virgin sacrifice would appease me?! Begone!"

Azazel opened his mouth and a stream of red fire shout out. Michael stepped in front of Jeff and his crew and shouted something that Freddie didn't quite understand and the fire was blocked by what appeared to be an invisible force. Freddie looked closer and saw that isn't wasn't just an invisible force, but that Michael was glowing with the same white light as his sword.

Harry went over to Freddie and untied him as he shouted, "Get out of here now!"

"What about you?!" Freddie said.

"We'll be fine! Now go!" Harry shouted back to the former tech producer.

' _I hope we will, at least_ ,' Harry thought to himself.

Freddie decided to take the older man's advice and made a break for the entrance of the mausoleum. Once head outside among the rest of the headstones, he decided not to stick around. Especially once he saw shades of people who looked as though they had lived decades prior to the modern days. It also didn't helped that those shades looked as though they had been torn apart by something hideous as he looked at them and they looked back.

Freddie was nearly out of Graceland cemetery when a fist caught his face. Fortunately for him, he did not fall but simply stumble. Freddie turned and saw Jeff and the other three guys standing off against him while the girls were gone.

"This is all your fault Benson! If you hadn't been here, we wouldn't be in this situation!" The gang member ranted.

Freddie wanted to point out how he was only in this predicament because of the gothic crew. But he thought better against it as he saw how his friends were a bit worried but we were still following him.

Jeff stepped forward to throw a punch, but Freddie sidestepped and followed up with a punch of his own. However, he didn't expect his punch to have more power than he intended, as Jeff was sent flying across ten yards until he hit a headstone. Jeff's friends looked on in shock and then broke out into a run. They were unfortunate as Chicago PD officers were quickly on the scene.

Freddie spoke with a few detectives of the department and simply told them how two upstanding men saved him from Jeff and his crew, who were promptly arrested for kidnapping. However, he also found that some animals had been slaughtered and that their blood was used to make the pentagram. Freddie hoped that it was the end but the two detectives kept asking if he had seen a man with strange items like a staff and rod get involved. Thankfully Freddie stuck by the story he gave. He figured that telling a story about a holy man and his friend was likely to get him locked up in a psych ward and maybe unwanted visitors on the rails of the men who saved him. Once the questioning was over, he finally headed home.

* * *

University of Chicago

Stony Island Hall

Freddie Benson's room

Freddie sat on his bed as he contemplated the events of the night. He had plans to relax but they were thrown to the wayside after his kidnapping. He figured the news of the events would be making rounds on the internet and he'd be getting some very unwanted calls from the three women he didn't want to speak with at the moment. His musings were cut short when he got a sharp knock on his door. He figured it could only be one person as he went to open the door. On the other side of the door stood Jade West, the goth girl that Freddie, Spencer, and the girls met along with Tori and the rest of the Hollywood Arts crew when Carly and Tori learned Steven was seeing them both.

"You want to tell me what happened Freddie," Jade commanded rather than asked. Unlike the Hollywood Arts crew, Freddie could see that beneath the tough shell the goth girl was worried about him. When they initially met, they found that they were trying to move on from their respective pasts and loves so that they could move forward with their lives.

"I'm fine Jade," Freddie said as he moved to let her inside. "Like hell you are Freddie. You look scared. You've got that same look my classmates had when they saw me back in high school."

Freddie simply shook his head as he recalled the stories Tori told him about Jade. Of course, after dealing with Sam for years, he didn't see Jade as scary but misunderstood. He knew that she was only worried for him especially knowing how news would hit the televisions across the cities. However, that wasn't what truly worried him.

Freddie explained to her how he passed through Graceland cemetery, noting the lack of a smile (he heard the story of how Jade wanted to inhale the fumes of deceased). He noted her shock and near horror at his kidnapping and her surprise when another man entered and was ready to tear apart everyone until two other men showed up, one of whom was a man dressed like a holy warrior and the other dressed like an urban detective. He was ready to stop after he mentioned them saving him, but Jade could tell that there was more to the story.

"Freddie, what happened?" Jade said. Freddie looked at her as though he was caught.

"Nothing happened Jade. They fought and those two guys helped me, that's all," the former tech producer replied.

"Bullshit. I know you Freddie. I know when something's wrong. We haven't spent all this time together for you to just clam up like this," Jade said as she stared Freddie in the eye.

That proved to have a serious consequence as the two had locked eyes long enough for both of them to feel as though they were being pulled into each others' gazes.

* * *

As Freddie finally became aware of his surroundings, he saw what appeared to be an off-putting amalgamation of what he could only believe were Hollywood Arts and rooms that appeared to be parts of Jade's house as well as Tori's house. He wasn't sure why those places appeared to him in such a way but he could tell there was a purpose. He spotted Jade's bedroom with her butterfly collection, her various odds and ends that would disturb most, and her journals with papers strewn about. He saw her kitchen where the image of what appeared to be an older woman arguing with an older man, which he believed were her parents. In Tori's house, he only saw the living room, where he saw an image of her argument with Beck that led to their nasty break up, which coincidentally played out to a lesser degree in the hallway of Hollywood Arts. This brought to mind the hallway of the school where he suddenly found himself surrounded by her classmates, many of which were females who were gossiping and insulting her out of earshot. The scene shift to her male classmates discussing the sexual acts they'd love to perform on her or how much they feared her. Freddie realized that these things defined the goth girl who had become his best friend.

Jade managed to reassert herself and saw that she was in a bedroom. She figured it belonged to Freddie given the paraphernalia of Galaxy Wars and World of Warlords around the room. Jade walked around the room and saw that it appeared to be normal with the normal rig for someone to record videos on his own personal computer and his laptop (she was curious as to how he may have afforded this). The goth girl walked into the bathroom and flicked the light on. Everything seemed normal until she looked into the mirror. She thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her until she looked directly into the mirror and saw the hallway of an apartment building with another residence across the hallway.

As the young woman touched the mirror, it rippled like water as her hand went through. She decided to plunge in dove into the mirror only to find herself in the hallway. Jade walked into the apartment and looked around. She realized that she stood within the Shay apartment as she saw the Bottlebot that was made by Spencer. The goth girl trekked up the steps and made it to the hallway with Carly Shay's door open. Jade found herself admiring the room a bit even if it wasn't to her taste. She moved on and continued up another flight of stairs where she found the studio where the famous webshow was filmed. She managed to perceive the different scenes and emotions that played out. She felt Freddie's love for Carly as he filmed and spent time with her, his anger and frustration at Sam's abusive behavior, and his melancholy at how no one seemed to regard for who he was outside of iCarly. She left the room but found herself inside a school. She saw the iCarly trio's classmates and felt more waves of emotions. She picked up on Freddie's happiness at being the center of attention, his sense of betrayal when he was ostracized for a different opinion on Fred, and buried anger at the people who mistreated, disrespected, and outright treated him like a dog.

There was a door to an open classroom that appeared dark on the inside. Jade approached and crossed the threshold only to realize that she was outside. However, she was surrounded by familiar looking headstones. Jade realized that she was in Graceland Cemetery. As she walked around she noticed how old the cemetery was. She thought back to when she wanted to inhale the fumes of the deceased in high school and shook her head at the thought. She was brought out of her musings by a glow in a nearby mausoleum. She quickly ran over and saw that Freddie was in the middle of a pentagram drawn in blood, with a group of older people who looked like bad 80s horror movie cults dressed like goths. However, what was worry soon turned to fear as she felt a horrifying presence enter from whatever crazy ritual these crazy goths cooked up. She saw the man in the white suit, with his two sets of eyes catching her off guard. What followed next was the appearance of two other strangers, one of whom looked like a holy warrior and the other dressed like he hard boiled modern detective with the duster. Curiously, the duster wearing man was wielding a staff that had glowing runes. The stranger in the suit transformed into what appeared a stereotypical demon with the chiropterran wings and horns. The duster-clad man freed Freddie and the former tech producer ran.

* * *

Freddie and Jade were brought out of the strange experience and found themselves back in his dorm room at Chicago University. They both felt as though they needed to catch their breath after what they witnessed but realized it was unnecessary. Freddie checked the time and reazlied that only a minute had passed where as it felt like half an hour.

Jade looked to her friend as she asked, "A demon?! You saw a demon?!"

"Shhhh!" Freddie said, hoping no one heard her. "Yes I did. I don't know what was going on or why. But I don't want to have to breathe another word of it again unless I have to."

Jade simply nodded as she more than understood why he said that to her.

* * *

Dresden Residence

Chicago, Illinois

Michael had pulled his pickup truck just outside of Harry Dresden's apartment. Both were unusually quiet, which for Harry meant that Michael had something to say about the situation. If he was honest with himself, the whole situation also seemed to bother him. He had a previous counter with the Order of the Blackened Denarians years before and it was a vicious fight. He believed that everyone involved, including Michael, was very fortunate that despite some injury, everyone was alive and stable. This situation with Azazel threw him for a loop as he and Michael believed Azazel to be as powerful as Anduriel could be. Yet somehow, both survived practically unscathed.

"It's strange isn't it?" Michael said.

Harry was brought of his line of thinking when his friend spoke. "What do you mean?"

"You saw it yourself as well Harry. I've never been one to believe in coincidence and I won't start now. Azazel being there was too convenient for those kids," Michael threw in.

Harry hoped he wasn't the only one and he was thankful that he was right. "Yeah. It worries me too. The last time we tangled with anyone like that we just made it. It's a miracle none of us were seriously hurt."

"Yes it was. It seems like that moment changed everything," Michael said as though he were still musing.

"What do you mean?" Harry said feeling nervous.

Michael turned to look at Harry. "I said before that I had a feeling that I wouldn't be wielding Amoracchious for much longer. I've been a warrior for God for so many years that I wouldn't be surprised if my tenure with the sword were to end violently. And yet ever since we saved Ivy two years ago, the feeling has changed. Meeting Freddie Benson has made that feeling stronger."

"I thought that kid looked familiar. Molly watched the kid on that show he has with those two girls," Harry said.

"I remember. She and her brothers and and sisters watched it every chance they had. The blonde girl always seemed...questionable to me. But the young man...he's different," Michael surmised.

"You noticed it too? I didn't think you had a sense for magical potential," Harry replied.

"I would if it was as simple as magic individuals such as yourself or those on the council use. And I don't just mean the soulfire either," Michael said with a serious expression that told Harry that this was a precarious situation.

"What are you saying? The kid was marked by something?" Harry asked.

"He wasn't marked by just anyone. He was marked by the Almighty himself."

* * *

Author's note: so here is the first chapter. I'd had this idea for a long time ever since I researched Dresden Files. I got hooked on the books once I started reading the books. There's an interesting world that Jim Butcher built up and there's a scenario that I want to explore and I'm not sure if Butcher will get to it in future books but I look forward to reading them. That said, there will be changes to the universe, so don't be surprised when you see something out of the ordinary for Dresdenverse. Until next time.


End file.
